Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1887-10-14
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STOCK BREEDING.
Feeding for Gyo,ctM o.. Fat


Simply feeding an animal without some
definite object in view is to waste the food
or else deprive the animal of something it
may require unless the farmer knows the
quality OF the food given and the nutritive
value OF the ingredients OF which it is COM
posed. SO important is knowledge of
the proper mode of feeding that it is often
possible to produce moro perfect animal
from grade than from Il Thoroughbred,
and Darwin expresses the opinion that the
quality Of the food influences variation in
animals, and that when improvement is at
tempted by judicious breedingAhe result is
largely influenced by the mode and periods
of feeding, as also by the quality and kinds
Of food used.
A normal condition cannot be sustained
in an animal except by a mixed diet. No
single article Of food used for domestic
animals can be regarded as complete or
containing the proper proportions of the
necessary elements of growth and warmth.
Certain foods, rich in nitrogen, are re-
quired for producing flesh. These foods
are known as "tiesh- formers" and are de-
rived from the gluten of grains, the
legumen of clover and from the different
forms of nitrogen in all the plants used as
food, being transformed III the body Of the
animal into flesh and to supply the natural
surplus being impaired to the products of
the animal, as casein in milk or albumen in
eggs from birds.
A proper division and classification of
the foods enables the farmer to appropri-
ate the elements particularly adapted for
the accomplishment of the production OF
flesh milk, butter, or fat, for While the Or
ganic matter Astounding in nitrogen is
more suitable for hesh-forming, that por-
ton free from nitrogen, known as carbo-
hydrates, contain starch, sugar, and fatty
oils. in order TO supply the fatty matter,
while the earthly phosphates repair and re-
new the bones.
AS the constituents OF an animals body
must come from the food, it is not best to
feed the starchy substances to young
animals exclusively when growth is de-
sired, which explains the cause of lack OF
thrift when straw or coarse hay is used, rs
the animal cannot eat enough of such sub
stances i'll order to supply itself. Nor can
we expect the best results from such grains
as corn. which contains a large proportion
of starch and oil with a small amount OF
flesh forming material, but when corn is
combined with clover hay the elements are
more evenly divided, yet even i'll the COM
bination Of the two foods time would show
that some element might be lacking, and a
change Of food would be necessary.
1t is more economical to feed n variety,
especially to growing stock, which demand
more nitrogen and the phosphates than do
those more matured, as the first must not
only renew waste but add to the flesh and
bone, while the adult is required only to
renew waste. An adult animal, therefore,
voids the excess of heterogeneous material,
and us consequence the manure from /,
mature animal is more valuable than that
from one which has not completed growth.
An adult animal also fattens mt less cost;
therefore, as but a small proportion Of
nitrogen is required, the mode Of feeding
depends upon the age and the objects de-
sired to be obtained. -IhiiodelphiM Rec